Short Summary

French and Italian Communist party leaders have reaffirmed their parties' full independence from the Soviet style of communism.

Description

French and Italian Communist party leaders have reaffirmed their parties' full independence from the Soviet style of communism. They were speaking at a mass rally in Paris on Thursday (3 June).

Signor Enrico Berlinguer, the Italian Communist leader, took the platform with his French counterpart M. Georges Marchais, Signor Berlinguer spoke of the two parties' commitment to a democratic society, the independence of the judiciary and freedom and autonomy for trade unions.

Signor Berlinguer is on a two day visit to France and he declared that the two parties were distinguished by their ability to innovate.

M. Marchais, while supporting Signor Berlinguer, emphasised that their two parties "naturally and necessarily" reflected their respective nations' characters.

Political observers say the presence of Signor Berlinguer in Paris is of particular interest, coming, as it does, in the middle of what is perhaps Italy's most important election campaign since the war.

But the display of unity is of special importance for the French Communists who, despite their recent show of independence from Moscow, still arouse considerably more distrust among non-committed French voters than their Italian counterparts do in Italy.